Shrimp and Crawfish from The VeryVera Cookbook
Happy Friday! This week, we cooked with a new ingredient: CRAWFISH! I haven’t ever worked much with crawfish, but I really love it. This little creature, also known as a “creek lobster,” tastes like a cross between crab legs and shrimp. It’s slightly sweet and easy to break down.
VeryVera’s Shrimp and Crawfish recipe uses a half pound of the tail meat.
I am loving Cookbook Feature Friday, and it’s only week 2. So, let’s jump in! The recipe I’m featuring today is Shrimp and Crawfish from The VeryVera Cookbook. If you love Southern cooking and value the traditions of etiquette, this is a truly beautiful book filled with delicious recipes and cooking tips to add to your collection. The book includes gorgeous photography and food styling, and an inspiring path to success.
One of the best cookbooks in my collection!
In 2019, I had the best time cooking with Ms. Vera on her entertaining show. If you missed The Coastal South episode, be sure to check it out on my YouTube Channel.
Rebekah (left) was a guest on The VeryVera Show with cookbook author and television host Vera Stewart (right) in October of 2019. Watch the episode on YouTube.
I took a few shortcuts with the recipe, such as using frozen chopped onion and bell pepper, rather than chopping my own. I also substituted Old Bay for the creole seasoning and used mozzarella cheese rather than Monterey jack because it’s what I had on hand.
Naturally, I gravitated toward this coastal dish. It is the first recipe I’ve cooked from the book. I’m happy to say, it was Some Kinda Good, and well worth the wait. Make this and you won’t be sorry! ~Rebekah
LOVED:
Discovering the joy of crawfish! Sweet meat and very affordable.
Seeing the sauce come together in my dutch oven. The house smelled amazing!
The short baking time of just 20 minutes gives you enough time to set the table and fix a glass of sweet tea.
DIDN’T LOVE:
You may have to break down the crawfish.
Be sure to buy enough to yield the half pound of tail meat needed for the recipe.
Prep time takes a while, so plan ahead.
A can of cream of shrimp can be hard to find. If you can’t find it, substitute cream of celery instead.
A thick sauce coats the fettuccini pasta.
Shrimp and Crawfish Recipe from The VeryVera Cookbook by Vera Stewart
1 lb peeled and deveined 51/60 shrimp
1/2 lb dry fettuccine noodles, broken in half
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 c white onion, diced
1/4 c green bell pepper, diced
1/4 c celery, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 c Rotel original diced tomatoes & green chilies, with juice
1/4 c dried parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 10 1/2 oz can cream of shrimp soup
1 c sharp cheddar cheese, hand-shredded
1 c Monterey jack cheese, hand-shredded
3/4 tsp. Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
1/2 lb cooked crawfish tail meat
Parmesan cheese, hand-grated for garnish
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Bake the shrimp on a parchment-lined sheet pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Cook the noodles in boiling water with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Once the noodles are fully cooked, drain, and toss them with the remaining olive oil. Set aside. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and parsley to the sautéed vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the soup, both cheeses, and seasonings. Let the mixture simmer until the cheese is melted. Add the noodles, shrimp, and crawfish to the sauce. Mix until well incorporated. Place in the greased 9 x 13 pan, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes or until hot. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Highly recommend making this Some Kinda Good Shrimp and Crawfish!
New to Some Kinda Good?
Georgia native Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a ServSafe certified professionally trained private chef, culinary TV personality, author and food enthusiast. Featured on Forbes, Food Network Star, ABC’s The Taste and The VeryVera Show, she is the longtime Statesboro Herald food columnist and blogger at SomeKindaGood.com, your one stop shop for Southern coastal cuisine, locally sourced and in-season. Pull up a chair for cooking and entertaining tips, and easy-to-execute, flavorful recipes to share around the family table. To learn more, connect with Some Kinda Good on social media, or visit RebekahLingenfelser.com.
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